The View from the Hermitage, Day 480

Global known covid deaths have topped 4,000,000, and just about anyone who is anyone knows that that is an undercount. Here's something interesting in a possibly frightening way, the time it took to hit each million deaths:

        9 months to hit 1,000,000

        3.5 months from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000

        3 months from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000

        2.5 months from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000

The pace is quickening thanks right now to the Delta variant and the huge number of unvaccinated people in the US and around the world. Across the US, covid cases are up 11 percent almost entirely among unvaccinated people. Every person who died of covid in the state of Maryland in June was unvaccinated. To quote a 1960s song, "When will they ever learn, Oh, when will they ever learn?"

A new state of emergency has been declared for Tokyo from July 12 to August 22, a period including the Olympics and Paralympics. Two thirds of Japan's covid cases are from the Tokyo region. The Japanese Olympic Committee in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee announced that there will be no spectators in Tokyo. There is the possibility but no certainty that spectators will be allowed at venues outside the Tokyo area. The announcement included that there was "no choice but to hold the Games in a limited way." Some specifics of the state of emergency have yet to be announced, but the health minister noted, "How to stop people enjoying the Olympics from going out for drinks is a main issue."

Some experts are asking if, given the dominance of the Delta variant, vaccinated people should continue to wear masks. My way of handling that issue is to assume that, unless I know them, any person not wearing a mask has not been vaccinated. Me? I'll be the one wearing both a mask and one of these:

I choose a button that will show up well on that day's shirt. Of course, today I haven't gone anywhere, so only Blaine and I get to enjoy the button I'm wearing which is the one on the bottom left that shows the spike protein.

The medical conditions most likely to be mentioned with covid on death certificates are diabetes, hypertensive diseases, chronic kidney disease, COPD, and demientia. Obesity and morbid obesity are also frequently mentioned. 

Finally, Africa has new cases doubling ever 18 days and is in its worst week yet with some experts saying that the worst is yet to come. They are short on vaccines, have mostly young people infected, and overwhelmed health care systems. I hope Covax or first-world nations can get some vaccines and other assistance delivered as soon as humanly possible. The pandemic won't end for the rest of the world with Africa, or any continent, as infected as it is right now.